French Toast: {Flavorings, Toppings & Tips}

French toast is a favorite breakfast or brunch dish and it’s so easy to make. The breads you can use are endless (french bread, sourdough bread, Texas toast, etc.) and you can get as creative as you like with toppings. Here is a basic recipe for french toast along with over a dozen recipes that I’ve handpicked from around the web. You’ll also find some cooking tips and topping ideas listed at the bottom. Enjoy!

Try Fresh Berries And Fruit Topping For A Delicious Treat

Basic Version

2 eggs (XL) 2 TBS milk 4 slices bread

Directions:

Heat a pan or griddle at medium to high heat (approximately 350°F for an electric griddle).

Mix together the eggs and milk with a fork or whisk then pour into a dish that’s large enough to dip a piece of bread into without having to fold it, an 8×8 inch baking dish is ideal.

Dip one slice of the bread into the egg & milk mixture on one side then flip and dip the other side. Letting the bread soak in the milk and egg mixture for a couple minutes will help the mixture soak right through the entire piece of bread but be careful it doesn’t get too soggy so that it falls apart when trying to cook it.

Add a tablespoon of butter to the grill to melt, then place the dipped slice of bread onto the pan. Cook the first side of bread for about 3 minutes or when the bread is golden brown, then flip and cook the other side for approximately the same amount of time. You can cook more than one piece at a time but don’t allow the pieces of bread to touch each other.

Once cooked serve immediately or keep in a warmed oven until ready to serve.

Tips:

There’s really no hard and fast rule for the amount of eggs and milk to use, the heavier the mixture is with eggs the more dense the french toast will be. If you prefer a lighter toast, add a bit more milk.

For best results use bread that is at least a day old, freshly baked bread is so soft that it rips and falls apart easily–especially after dipping in egg & milk mixture.

If you use bread that is very thick, you might find it tricky to cook the bread all the way through (without burning) and cut into a soggy middle (yuck). Covering the frying pan with a lid will help or you can lay the pieces that are fried golden brown onto a cookie sheet, cover with foil and bake for a few minutes until the middle is cooked through.

You can make big batches at once, freeze the toast in individual slices (placing wax paper between each slice) and thaw when wanted. Heat in the microwave, oven or toaster.

More From Around The Web

*These were originally published as a separate Recipe Hit List and moved here for better organization.

*Note: Descriptions below are quotes from the sources

Cinnamon-Nutmeg with Strawberries & Blueberries: Although this dish is a snap to make I must confess that for most of my married life I’ve avoided it. Why? Well, I like my French toast slightly crunchy while my husband prefers his soggy. As a result we’d debate just how crunchy or soggy the French toast should be, and it would never come out “just right” for either of us. Frankly French toast became our version of this song, until we discovered the easily adaptable nature of Alton Brown’s recipe. Is there nothing that man can’t do? I swear he saved our marriage. As you can see below, AB’s french toast is made on the stove-top, then crisped in the oven – though for the purposes of my mis-matched French toast marriage, my husband forgoes the oven while I add 5 minutes to the baking time. (For 10 full minutes in the oven.) Voila! We’re both happy. Recipe found at Baking And Books.

Banana Bread: This is my family’s favorite use for leftover Banana Bread. They will actually avoid eating it the day I make it in order to have some leftover for french toast! This is beyond delicious and truly heaven sent! Recipe from Southern Plate.

Strawberry Cheesecake: For a tempting breakfast dish that’s more like dessert, try this! The rich filling between the French toast slices tastes like cheesecake. And who can resist sweet strawberries? Recipe from Taste of Home.

Eggless: If you know someone who’s allergic to eggs and is missing their French Toast, send them this way. You (and we) will be making new friends over food, which is what we’re all about. Recipe found at King Arthur Flour.

Caramelized Banana: (scroll down the page to find recipe) This method lets you use one pan for both the French toast and the bananas; just make sure it’s good and non-stick. Recipe found at Simmer Till Done.

Raspberry Lemon Baked: I love baked french toast, especially for entertaining — you can prep it the night before, let the bread soak overnight, then just bake it off in the morning. I’ve made this french toast with some of the no-knead challah bread that Jaden posted on Steamy Kitchen; it comes out of the oven soft but not soggy, with some nicely toasted edges on the bread. Recipe from Eggs On Sunday.

Banana Stuffed: Dust with the icing sugar, cut in half and serve with the Greek-style natural yoghurt. Recipe from Jamie Oliver.

French Toast Bites with Blueberry Sauce: After you cook them, you toss the warm french toast cubes in cinnamon-sugar, which adds a little bit of sweetness and really takes away the need for any syrup, in my opinion. My kids loved this breakfast. It was really a fun one to make and eat together. Recipe from Meet Me In The Kitchen.

Nutella Stuffed Brioche French Toast: A luscious layer of Nutella is sandwiched between two slices of brioche, then the whole thing was to be dipped in French toast batter, fried in butter, and finished with a dusting of powdered sugar. It sounded so divine the prospect of making it led me to hum and prance excitedly around the kitchen. And the taste? Well, brioche and Nutella were made for each other. It made my heart flutter with happiness (or was that my heart struggling to pump after all that artery clogging goodness?), it was no doubt the best French toast I have ever had with a crisp exterior and a soft, custard like interior. Recipe from Nook And Pantry.

Easy French Toast: The thing about French toast is that, more likely than not, you have all the ingredients you need already on hand: milk, eggs, sugar, butter, bread. And all you’re doing when you make it is frying bread in butter–bread that’s been soaked in a custardy mixture. Sure, you can vary the bread–for a truly decadent French toast use challah or brioche: that’s what most restaurants do–but simple, plain white sandwich bread will work fine. I used a recipe from “The Joy of Cooking” that was incredibly basic but, also, incredibly satisfying; it yields a French toast with a crunchy exterior, a creamy interior and a subtle hint of vanilla. You’re going to love it. Recipe from Amateur Gourmet.

Flavoring & Topping Ideas

Cinnamon & Spice: My favorite way to cook french toast is to use the basic recipe but with an addition: once you lay a freshly dipped piece of bread on the griddle, sprinkle the top generously with cinnamon (this will be on top of the bread with the raw egg side). When the bread is flipped for that side to cook, the cinnamon is cooked into the fried crust. Nutmeg is also tasty.

Vanilla: For a faint taste of vanilla, add a few drops of vanilla extract to the egg & milk mixture before dipping bread.

Confectioners’ Sugar: Once the toast is removed from the frying pan, sprinkle immediately with confectioners’ sugar (icing sugar). This adds a decorative touch and also adds a bit of sweetness to the toast.

Flavored Sugar: Oh my! Try sprinkling freshly made french toast with Vanilla Sugar or Lemon Sugar (see recipes for making your own on this page, assorted flavors). You can also mix a bit of the flavored sugar into the raw eggs & milk before dipping.

Fruit Preserves: Heat your favorite fruit preserves over slow/medium heat until they’re runny then pour over top toast. Sprinkle a bit of confectioners’ sugar over all then enjoy.

Syrups: Maple syrup poured over top of french toast first covered with a bit of butter is a favorite way to enjoy french toast, but you can also try fruit syrups like blueberry or raspberry.